ACM SIGCAS/SIGCHI Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies

ACM SIGCAS/SIGCHI Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies is an annual academic conference focused on the intersection of computing technologies and global development challenges. Co-sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computers and Society and Special Interest Group on Computer–Human Interaction, it serves as a primary venue for research in Information and communication technologies for development. The conference, often referred to by its acronym COMPASS, emphasizes rigorous, interdisciplinary work aimed at creating equitable and sustainable socio-technical systems.

History and background

The conference was first convened in 2018, emerging from a growing recognition within the ACM community of the need for a dedicated forum for work at the nexus of computing and societal well-being. Its establishment was influenced by prior initiatives like the ICTD Conference and workshops held at major events such as CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems and the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency. Early organizing committees included scholars from institutions like the University of Washington, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Cape Town. The founding was a direct response to global frameworks like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to translate computational research into tangible action for communities in the Global South and underserved regions worldwide.

Conference themes and scope

The scope of the conference is broadly defined around computing's role in fostering sustainability and equity. Central themes include the design and evaluation of technologies for sectors such as agriculture, public health, financial inclusion, and environmental conservation. A significant portion of research presented involves fieldwork and deployments in diverse contexts, from rural India to informal settlements in Nairobi. The conference explicitly encourages critical perspectives on topics like decolonization of technology, data sovereignty, AI ethics, and the environmental costs of digital infrastructure. Methodologies span participatory design, ethnography, data science, and policy analysis, bridging the gap between technical innovation and deep societal engagement.

Organization and governance

The conference is governed by a steering committee comprising members from both SIGCAS and SIGCHI, with annual organizing committees responsible for the specific event. Key roles include the General Chair, Program Chairs, and a diverse panel of reviewers drawn from academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations. Proceedings are published in the ACM Digital Library and the conference typically operates under a double-blind peer review process. Partnerships with entities like the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and various NGOs are common. The event is often held in locations symbolically connected to its mission, such as Cape Town or Bangalore, to facilitate local community and practitioner participation.

Notable papers and impact

Research presented has yielded influential studies and systems. Notable works include analyses of mobile money usage in West Africa, AI tools for smallholder farmers in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute, and critiques of facial recognition technologies in humanitarian settings. Several papers have received best paper awards and have later been expanded into influential publications in journals like ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction and World Development. The conference has also served as an incubator for open-source platforms used by development agencies, contributing to policy discussions at forums like the World Economic Forum and informing projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Associated awards

The conference presents several awards to recognize outstanding contributions. The **Best Paper Award** and **Best Student Paper Award** are given for top-ranked submissions. A **Community Award** often honors work with demonstrated real-world impact or deep community collaboration. These awards are sometimes sponsored by affiliated organizations like the ACM Future of Computing Academy or technology firms engaged in social impact. Recognition at the conference has helped elevate early-career researchers and practitioners, with award winners frequently coming from institutions like Cornell University, University of Edinburgh, and the Indian Institute of Technology.

Category:Computer science conferences Category:Sustainability Category:Association for Computing Machinery special interest groups